Teaching Activities for "The Lady or the Tiger" by Frank Stockton
In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric principal, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant New England superintendents, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric. He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done.
When every teacher at his school moved smoothly in his appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his teachers got out of their place, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked teachers straight and crush down uneven teachers.
That’s why, in light of his upcoming observation of my class, I needed teaching activities for the “Lady or the Tiger” by Frank Stockton. For if my “Lady or the Tiger” lesson plans weren’t satisfactory then my activities for teaching the book would include me being fed to a tiger.
Activities to Try
Make these activities part of your lesson plans.
- You could import a tiger from the jungles of Africa along with a mail order bride and conduct a real life “Lady or the Tiger” reenactment for kids you suspect of cheating on the last quiz. Make sure, however, your union dues are paid. This could become a legal mess.
- A better idea would be to enlarge a photo or draw a giant picture of a tiger along with a blown up photo or a giant picture of a really hot girl or guy. Put the pictures behind butcher paper, cabinet doors, two windows, etc. As a prereading activity, make accusations and conduct the trial. As a post reading activity, determine whether or not the lady or the tiger appeared. For an extra dose of fun, use a photoshopped (or real) picture of the school principal or dean (with their permission, of course) in a bikini or dress for the lady.
- Stage a debate on one of the following topics: (1) What the princess should do; (2) What the princess actually did; (3) whether or not the prince should believe the princess.
- The obvious “Lady or the Tiger Lesson Plan” is to write an ending to the story. The ending should begin with the moment the young man opens the door. It should include a detailed account of what happens next based on what has happened in the past; that is, there should either be a gruesome mauling of the young man or a glorious wedding. It should include the reaction of the princess. It should include a rationale for the princess’s decision.
References
- Author’s Experience
This post is part of the series: Lady or the Tiger Teacher Guide
Choose wisely.
